The foldable smartphone market has entered a new phase in 2026, with three major premium devices now competing for attention: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, Xiaomi 18 Fold and Apple iPhone Duo.
Samsung continues to build on its established Galaxy Z Fold formula, Xiaomi is taking an aggressive hardware-first approach with a huge 6,000mAh battery and Leica cameras, while Apple has finally entered the foldable market with the iPhone Duo.
For Malaysian buyers, however, the three phones are positioned very differently.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 is officially available in Malaysia, the iPhone Duo has confirmed Malaysian pricing and an October release, while the Xiaomi 18 Fold is currently officially available in China with no confirmed Malaysian launch. That said, when it comes to pricing, the Xiaomi 18 Fold pricing will be based on the Chinese pricing.
Here’s the specifications of each folding phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8
- Price and storage: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at RM7,299 for 256GB, while the 512GB version costs RM8,099 and the 1TB model is priced at RM9,699 in Malaysia.
- Availability: The phone is already available in Malaysia and can be purchased in local and online stores.
- RAM: All three Malaysian storage configurations come with 12GB RAM, giving Samsung a straightforward memory configuration across the range.
- Processor: The Galaxy Z Fold8 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, a customised Qualcomm flagship platform with dedicated CPU, GPU and NPU optimisation for Galaxy AI and demanding workloads.
- Displays: Samsung equips the Fold8 with a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display. The main screen has a 1848 x 2448 resolution and supports a 120Hz refresh rate, while the cover display has a 1972 x 1248 resolution and also supports up to 120Hz.
- Design: The Galaxy Z Fold8 is one of the lightest phones in this comparison at 201g. It measures just 4.5mm when unfolded and 9.7mm when folded, making portability one of its major advantages.
- Rear cameras: Samsung uses a dual-camera system comprising a 50MP wide camera and 50MP ultra-wide camera. The main camera features OIS, while the system provides up to 2x optical-quality zoom and up to 10x digital zoom.
- Front cameras: There is a 10MP cover-screen camera and a 10MP inner-display camera, giving users dedicated cameras for both folded and unfolded use.
- Video: The Galaxy Z Fold8 can record video at up to 8K 30fps, while Samsung’s ProVisual Engine and Galaxy AI features are designed to improve image processing and editing.
- Battery: Samsung gives the Fold8 a 4,800mAh battery, with Samsung rating it for up to 26 hours of video playback.
- Connectivity: The Fold8 supports 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC and UWB. It also features USB-C connectivity, Samsung DeX support and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
- Software: The phone runs Android with One UI 9, with Samsung positioning the large screen around multitasking, Galaxy AI and Multi Window productivity.
- Durability: Samsung uses a reinforced foldable construction with titanium layers beneath the display, an Armor FlexHinge and strengthened glass materials.
Xiaomi 18 Fold
- Price and storage: Xiaomi takes a different approach to pricing. In China, the 12GB + 256GB model costs CNY10,999, while the 12GB + 512GB version costs CNY11,999.
- Higher configurations: The 16GB + 512GB model costs CNY12,999, while the flagship 16GB + 1TB LPDDR6 version costs CNY14,999. Xiaomi also offers a 16GB + 1TB Ceramic Special Edition for CNY15,999.
- Malaysia availability: At the time of writing, Xiaomi has not confirmed international or Malaysian availability for the Xiaomi 18 Fold. Therefore, the Chinese prices should not be treated as Malaysian retail prices.
- Processor: The Xiaomi 18 Fold introduces Xiaomi’s XRING O3 flagship SoC. It uses a 10-core CPU design, a 16-core GPU and a dedicated NPU architecture aimed at AI workloads.
- RAM: The lower storage variants use LPDDR5X RAM, while the 1TB flagship models move to LPDDR6. This makes the Xiaomi particularly interesting for users who prioritise memory capacity and high-end multitasking.
- Storage: All configurations use UFS 4.1 storage, with capacities ranging from 256GB to 1TB.
- Displays: Xiaomi equips the 18 Fold with a 5.38-inch outer LTPO OLED display and a much larger 7.58-inch inner LTPO OLED display. Both displays support adaptive refresh rates from 1Hz to 120Hz.
- Display brightness: Xiaomi claims peak brightness of up to 4,000 nits, putting the 18 Fold among the most aggressively specified foldables for outdoor visibility.
- Design: The Xiaomi 18 Fold weighs 219g and measures approximately 5.02mm when unfolded and 10.68mm when folded. It is therefore heavier and thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold8, although it still maintains a relatively slim foldable profile.
- Rear cameras: Xiaomi is arguably the most ambitious of the three in camera hardware. The phone features a 200MP Leica main camera, a 50MP Leica ultra-wide camera and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera.
- Telephoto camera: The periscope camera offers 3.5x optical zoom, OIS and up to 7x optical-quality zoom, giving the Xiaomi 18 Fold a clear hardware advantage for long-range photography compared with Samsung’s dual-camera Fold8.
- Selfie cameras: Xiaomi provides 16MP front cameras, with cameras available for both the outer and inner displays.
- Video: The 18 Fold can record up to 8K at 24fps and 4K at 60fps.
- Battery: Xiaomi makes battery capacity one of the phone’s biggest selling points with a 6,000mAh silicon-enhanced battery.
- Charging: It supports 67W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, significantly exceeding the charging capabilities offered by Samsung’s Fold8.
- Software: The Xiaomi 18 Fold runs HyperOS 4, based on Android 17.
- Connectivity: The phone supports 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, UWB and USB-C 3.2 Gen 2.
- Durability: Xiaomi rates the device at IPX8 water resistance, while its construction includes a reinforced aluminium frame, Xiaomi’s Dragon Crystal Glass 3.0 and ultra-thin glass technology for the internal display.
Apple iPhone Duo
- Price and storage: Apple’s iPhone Duo starts at RM9,499 for 256GB in Malaysia. The 512GB version costs RM10,499, the 1TB version RM12,499, while the flagship 2TB model costs RM15,499.
- Availability: Apple has confirmed that Malaysian pre-orders begin on 16 October, with availability starting 23 October 2026.
- Processor: The iPhone Duo is powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip, featuring a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU with Neural Accelerators and a dual 16-core Neural Engine.
- Performance: Apple says the A20 Pro delivers up to 20% faster CPU performance than the A19 Pro, while the chip also brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing and increased memory bandwidth.
- Displays: The iPhone Duo has a 5.4-inch outer Super Retina XDR OLED display and a 7.6-inch folding Super Retina XDR OLED display.
- Display technology: Both displays support ProMotion up to 120Hz, Always-On display, HDR, True Tone, P3 wide colour and up to 3,000 nits outdoor peak brightness.
- Resolution: The inner display offers 1878 x 2670 pixels at 430ppi, while the outer display offers 1398 x 2034 pixels at 460ppi.
- Apple Pencil: Unlike previous iPhones, the Duo supports the Apple Pencil via USB-C, further positioning the large inner display as a productivity tool.
- Build: Apple uses a titanium foldable design, Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and Ceramic Shield on the rear. The device weighs 254g, making it substantially heavier than both Samsung and Xiaomi.
- Dimensions: When open, the Duo measures 5.2mm thick, while folded thickness is 11.3mm.
- Rear cameras: Apple uses a 48MP Fusion main camera alongside a 48MP Fusion ultra-wide camera. The main sensor also provides a 12MP optical-quality 2x telephoto mode.
- Photography: The system supports sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, Smart HDR 5, Night mode, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, 48MP macro photography and up to 10x digital zoom.
- Video: Apple pushes the Duo heavily towards video creators, with support for 4K Dolby Vision recording up to 120fps on the main camera.
- Front cameras: The outer display features a 12MP Center Stage camera, while the inner display uses an under-display FaceTime camera.
- Battery: Apple rates the Duo for up to 24 hours of typical use. Video playback is rated at up to 44 hours using the outer display and up to 31 hours using the inner display.
- Charging: The Duo supports USB-C fast charging, with up to 50 percent charge in around 20 minutes using a 60W or higher adapter. MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging are supported at up to 25W.
- Security: Apple replaces Face ID on the foldable with Touch ID integrated into the side button.
- Connectivity: The Duo supports 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, USB-C, MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging. It is an eSIM-only device with no physical SIM card slot.
- Water resistance: The iPhone Duo carries an IP68 rating, with Apple specifying resistance to a maximum depth of 6 metres for up to 30 minutes under laboratory conditions.
- Software: The phone runs iOS 27, with Apple’s foldable-specific multitasking experience designed around split-screen workflows and a larger canvas for apps.
Performance: Which Foldable Has The Strongest Hardware?
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8: Samsung’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy is a proven flagship platform, and the 12GB RAM configuration should provide more than enough performance for gaming, productivity and AI applications.
- Xiaomi 18 Fold: Xiaomi is arguably the most aggressive on paper. The XRING O3, up to 16GB RAM, LPDDR6 memory and UFS 4.1 storage give the 18 Fold an extremely high-end hardware package.
- Apple iPhone Duo: Apple’s A20 Pro takes a different approach. Rather than competing on core count or RAM capacity, Apple combines its custom silicon with iOS optimisation and its Neural Engine. For CPU-intensive applications, AI processing and video workflows, the Duo should remain highly competitive.
Winner: Xiaomi 18 Fold
Display Battle
- Samsung offers a 7.6-inch 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X inner display and a 5.5-inch cover display, with its new 4:3 internal format aimed at productivity and content consumption.
- Xiaomi uses a 7.58-inch LTPO OLED inner display and 5.38-inch outer display, with both screens capable of dynamically scaling from 1Hz to 120Hz.
- Apple has a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR folding display and 5.4-inch outer screen, with both supporting ProMotion, Always-On display and up to 3,000 nits outdoor brightness.
Winner: Samsung
Camera Battle
- Xiaomi 18 Fold wins the hardware specification contest with its 200MP Leica main camera, 50MP ultra-wide and 50MP periscope telephoto.
- Apple iPhone Duo takes a more computational-photography approach with dual 48MP Fusion cameras, Dolby Vision video and Apple’s extensive image-processing pipeline.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 has a simpler dual 50MP camera system but combines it with Samsung’s ProVisual Engine, Nightography and Galaxy AI editing tools.
Winner: Xiaomi
Battery And Charging Battle
- Xiaomi 18 Fold is the clear capacity winner with its 6,000mAh battery, 67W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 carries a smaller 4,800mAh battery and is rated for up to 26 hours of video playback.
- Apple iPhone Duo does not disclose its battery capacity on its technical specification page, but Apple claims up to 24 hours of typical use and up to 31 hours of video playback on the internal display.
Winner: Xiaomi
Price Battle In Malaysia
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 256GB: RM7,299.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 512GB: RM8,099.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 1TB: RM9,699.
- Apple iPhone Duo 256GB: RM9,499.
- Apple iPhone Duo 512GB: RM10,499.
- Apple iPhone Duo 1TB: RM12,499.
- Apple iPhone Duo 2TB: RM15,499.
- Xiaomi 18 Fold: No official Malaysian price has been announced. Its China pricing starts at CNY10,999 for 12GB + 256GB and reaches CNY15,999 for the 16GB + 1TB Ceramic Special Edition.
Which One Should You Buy?
- Choose the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 if you want the most established foldable ecosystem, a lighter design, Samsung DeX, Galaxy AI, excellent multitasking and official Malaysian availability. At RM7,299 for 256GB, it is also substantially cheaper to enter than the iPhone Duo.
- Choose the Xiaomi 18 Fold if specifications are your priority. Its 6,000mAh battery, 67W charging, 200MP Leica camera, periscope telephoto, 16GB RAM and 1TB storage make it one of the most aggressively equipped foldables of 2026. The major drawback for Malaysian buyers is availability.
- Choose the Apple iPhone Duo if you are already invested in Apple’s ecosystem and want the first foldable iPhone experience. Its A20 Pro chip, iOS 27, Apple Pencil support, high-resolution displays, IP68 rating and 2TB maximum storage make it Apple’s most ambitious iPhone yet. The major drawback is its price, with the entry-level model already costing RM9,499.
Verdict
On price and practicality, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is the strongest proposition for Malaysian consumers because it combines a lower entry price, a mature foldable platform and official local availability.
On raw hardware specifications, the Xiaomi 18 Fold is arguably the most impressive. Its 6,000mAh battery, 67W charging, 200MP Leica camera, periscope telephoto, 16GB RAM and 1TB storage give it an exceptionally strong specification sheet.
The iPhone Duo, meanwhile, is the most significant new entrant. Apple is not attempting to win purely through camera megapixels or battery capacity. Instead, it is betting on the combination of A20 Pro performance, iOS 27, Apple Intelligence, Apple Pencil support and deep ecosystem integration.
Ultimately, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is the more practical choice, the Xiaomi 18 Fold is the hardware enthusiast’s choice, while the iPhone Duo is the premium option for users who want Apple’s first-generation interpretation of the foldable smartphone.
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